Is there a good diet plan similar to Lean Cuisines?

itskatelynbitch

I was previously on a Lean Cuisine diet (I actually ate some Lean Pockets and Smart Ones meals a lot, too). I lost about 15 pounds before I gave up and started eating whatever I want, which, has me currently pushing 200 pounds. My regular eating routine involves a Venti Starbucks Frappuccino every single day. I'm seriously addicted.

I've recently started eating the Lean Cuisines again, and while I actually like them, I'm having so much trouble not eating junk food and sweets at the end of the day. Maybe its because I know I'm on a "diet". I was wondering if anyone knows of any other pre-packaged meals, perhaps that are refrigerated instead of frozen, that are also on the healthier side? Something similar to Lean Cuisine/Smart Ones.

I'm going grocery shopping soon and I'd like to find some kind of meals like that. I'd also like to find some healthy snacks. NOTE: I don't want to buy regular healthy food and make my own meals because I never know what to make and the food ends up going bad. I like having the calorie count and nutrition information right there on the package. Plus, I work a lot at varying hours and I just don't have time to cook.

I'm also not too worried about the sodium in these meals. Its nothing compared to the unhealthy way I've been eating and I drink a lot of water already, so I'm not too concerned with sodium. I also drink green tea three times a day, once with each meal to help with weight loss.

Does anyone know of any meals similar to what I'm looking for?

Odinisgod

I try to stay away from processed foods. I can't stand lean cuisines. Not that they taste bad, but they leave me feeling starving. I feel more satisfied if I cook my own meals using whole foods.

SherryTeach

At some point, maybe you should learn to cook. It's not that hard and it's an important life skill. Start with a few easy recipes that will freeze well and then portion them out into individual containers. I do almost all my cooking in batch so I only end up cooking once a week or less. Then I have a freezer or fridge full of single serve choices that are full of good nutrition and usually more filling than those packaged meals.

Sabine_Stroehm

At some point, maybe you should learn to cook. It's not that hard and it's an important life skill. Start with a few easy recipes that will freeze well and then portion them out into individual containers. I do almost all my cooking in batch so I only end up cooking once a week or less. Then I have a freezer or fridge full of single serve choices that are full of good nutrition and usually more filling than those packaged meals.

Pretty much this. At some point, learn to eat FOOD. learn to cook to an extent, learn to fuel your body. I'm not a great cook, but I can cook well enough to eat well, to eat healthy foods, to fuel my body. This has made all the difference in the world for the LONG HAUL.

ajff

You could probably just go down the freezer aisle and try a few new prepackaged meals. Sorta like an experiment?

But, maybe you could also get some fresh fruit/veggies? if you know you get the munchies, have some watermelon or carrots and hummus on hand in the front of your fridge. Then you can have a balance of processed food and fresh? At some point you may find a recipe or two that you can branch out into? Aside from being way better for you, it is way cheaper to cook for yourself.

Kalikel

OMG, there are tons of them in the grocery stores. I started losing weight with frozen dinners - Stoiffer's regular and Lean Cuisine. The orange boxes generally don't have very many more calories than the Lean ones, either. It was a huge help with portion control (as long as you don't buy the big ones, lol.)

I still cave on occasion and get them, but I'm working on it because they aren't a good option for me any longer. I think I've finally kicked them to the curb. I think, lol. I have a bunch of dietary restrictions and sometimes I rebel and eat things I should NOT, but sooo much better all the time.

But if you're cool with them, the store is full of them! They're awesome for portion control, easy as hell and taste good! (A little too salty once you're low-sodium, but if you're still cool with salt, they're really good.) I was a big fan of the hot pocket, Meatball & Mozzarella. Ham & Cheese was pretty good, too.

There's a Lean Cuisine with chicken and cranberries and...either rice or pasta...that was VERY good, IMO.

Just go to the frozen aisle. There's a bodrillion.

Snacks:
Fruit, especially grapes when watching TV, you don't have to pay grapes much attention and can eat them like popcorn
Special K popcorn chips and salsa
Special K cracker chips (weans you off potato chips slowly, lol)
Rice cakes
Rice thins
Reduced fat Triskits (sp)
Craisins

That's all I have.

Good luck!,

iggyboo93

The following webpage gives some good tips/recipes for making your own frozen dinners. Personally, I love bringing leftovers for lunch the next day - they taste so much better than the pre-fabricated frozen meals and are more hearty.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=762

Meerataila

At some point, maybe you should learn to cook. It's not that hard and it's an important life skill. Start with a few easy recipes that will freeze well and then portion them out into individual containers. I do almost all my cooking in batch so I only end up cooking once a week or less. Then I have a freezer or fridge full of single serve choices that are full of good nutrition and usually more filling than those packaged meals.

Pretty much this. At some point, learn to eat FOOD. learn to cook to an extent, learn to fuel your body. I'm not a great cook, but I can cook well enough to eat well, to eat healthy foods, to fuel my body. This has made all the difference in the world for the LONG HAUL.

This! I started with whatever I could pan fry and then branched out to a pot with whatever stew/rice/chili concoction I could think of, then I went on to a slow cooker. It's not as scary as it seems. Although maybe I should have started with the slow cooker. Lots of good recipes and easy to follow instructions online.

SLLRunner

The only sustainable eating plan is to eat what you want while staying within your calorie goals.

The Lean Cuisine Diet is not magic, the only reason you lost weight is because you ate less calories than you burned. You can do that with any foods, including Lean Cuisine and your special coffee. I suggest cooking your meals so that you have enough left over for a few days into the week. i don't especially like to cook, but I do it so that I will have some dinners for the rest of the week.

I am not big on packaged meals, and can't eat many of them due to soy products and dairy, so I don't have an answer as to the best ones.

There is also nothing wrong with snacks either. I think your coffee drink sounds delicious. Each morning I make my own mocha: 5 grams of unsweetened chocolate, 5 grams of sugar, coffee, and 1/2 cup of fat free steamed lactose free milk (the reason I use fat free milk is because it foams so well when I steam it with my espresso machine). It's really good.

buzz3d269

I happen to have a lean cuisine factory in my town, so can get "seconds" for $2.50 each. So, for now, with a busy lifestyle, this is mainly what I eat. What I do though, is mainly buy pasta type dishes, and then add my own steamed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli and pumpkin mainly) - doesn't add many extra calories, doesn't take much extra time, but gives the whole dish extra flavour, extra good stuff and leaves me completely satisfied. If I'm going ok on calories, I'll also add in chia seeds and avocado too. Yum

FancyPantsFran

I like the Healthy Choice Steamers. I have them for lunch.

Maybe you could start learning to cook.. start out small. It will save you a ton of money you will be eating healthier and lose weight quicker

Chicken breast are easy to make on the grill or oven 4oz 120 calories
Steam broccoli in the microwave one cup 25 calories
sweet potato around 140 calories small one. you can buy them prewrapped and pop in microwave or buy a small bag and wrap them in plastic wrap cook for around 4- 5 minutes in microwave

Meerataila

sweet potato around 140 calories small one. you can buy them prewrapped and pop in microwave

Good idea. They make regular microwaveable potatoes, too. Buy a jar of salsa for topping, you're all set.

HellyFaye

At some point, maybe you should learn to cook. It's not that hard and it's an important life skill. Start with a few easy recipes that will freeze well and then portion them out into individual containers. I do almost all my cooking in batch so I only end up cooking once a week or less. Then I have a freezer or fridge full of single serve choices that are full of good nutrition and usually more filling than those packaged meals.

I would check out some websites like pinterest to find resources to learn to make your own freezer meals. The biggest problem you're having is that meals like Lean Cuisines do not have enough REAL nutritional value to keep you full. You need to be getting fiber into your diet.

forkofpower

Do you specifically have to eat those prepackaged diet plan meals? I used to eat those because I didn't know what else to do, and it sucked. They taste kind of gross and they're expensive. Also, unless you plan to eat them for the rest of your life, this isn't really an effective diet plan, imo.

I couldn't (and still can't) cook, besides using the microwave and boiling water for pasta/eggs, but I make do with tons of avocados, cheeses, sandwiches, eggs, fruits, deli meats, etc ... which is cheaper, tastier, and more filling. 'Cooking' for yourself doesn't have to involve fancy, complicated recipes. Can you make a sandwich with deli meat, packaged spinach, and avocado? Can you slice up bananas and strawberries? Then you're cooking fresh food for yourself.

jmkmomm

I started out my diet here on MFP with the Lean Cuisines and Smart ones. I gradually learned to make my own simple meals. Yep, I am a 64 year old woman who doesn't know how to cook!!!! I know it isn't the best way to do it but we eat every one of our evening meals out. Please don't throw things at me!!! I started my diet 10/2012 and have lost 59 pounds and still going. It's a plan I can easily live with, my B/P is down, off one of my medicines, off my cholesterol medicine completely and my diabetes medicine is cut in half. I have gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I'm happy with it, it works with my lifestyle. As you can see with my picture, I am smiling. 20 months ago I wasn't, never allowed my picture to be taken although some people did and I am glad because now I have some pictures to compare. Some day I will figure out how to get them all together and post my success story here.

kmh0617

You don't have to cook know how to cook to make salads. Buy a big container of healthy field greens or baby kale, top it with lots of goodies and lean protein (smoked salmon, beets, feta, and cucumber is my fave). Chicken, avocado and strawberries or steak, bleu cheese and red onion. Yum!
I agree with other posters- stop eating yucky food from a box that leaves you hungry. Learn to cook a few meals with whole food ingredients.
That said- When I don't feel like cooking I like Amy's meals with added lean protein and fresh veggies (sautéed or steamed).

Swiftlet66

Think long term, like for the rest of your life long term. Do you really want to eat a diet of frozen meals for the rest of your life? Most people think a diet is temporary and mostly for weight loss but this often leads to weight gain afterwards when they return to "normal" foods. That is yo-yo dieting. The only way to break away from this is (IMO) to make your diet+exercise a lifestyle! That is the best diet plan. Like a lot of what other people have said, put effort into making your own diet plan now (ie. cook/assemble together the foods you like and weigh/calculate calories and macros) and when you get the hang of it, it's practically no work at all.

I hold down a full time job plus night classes and the only time I have to cook is weekends so I make a big batch of meals and refrigerate for the week. My go to meal is salted and pan fried salmon with rice and a side of some type of steamed green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, etc), lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and pickled vegetables. The only thing I had to cook here is the salmon and steamed veggies (fresh and frozen). I also like to assemble together easy things like salads (spinach/lettuce/cheese/fresh juicy fruits), wraps (hummus/chicken, different types of leafy veggies and cheese), and pita pockets (same as others). That's practically no work either and they taste great. Fruits and nuts are automatic snacks. No prep at all; just grab a portion and eat.

eslcity

Or you could be me... and marry someone that loves to cook... ^^

dbmata

"Is there a good diet plan similar to Lean Cuisines?"

Good? HAH! No.

Similar? Oh yeah. Nutrisystem is one.

sshintaku

I know there are easy microwaveable things that are healthier than pre-packaged foods and cheaper too. You can buy precooked, microwaveable chicken breast strips, microwaveable rice, microwave broccoli and green beans. Throw all this together and you have 3ish meals ready to go that is still easy, microwave friendly and cheaper.

If forced to do microwave meals, I prefer the Healthy Choice steamer variety,